I haven’t been on the ball with checking upcoming new titles this year, for, well, lots of reasons. But I think there have also been many shifting publication dates, and it seems lots of releases have been pushed to next year.
Nevertheless, there’s still some exciting upcoming new nonfiction to look forward to in the rest of 2020! Here are a few that piqued my interest. Do any of these sound appealing?
True Crimes and Misdemeanors : The Investigation of Donald Trump, by Jeffrey Toobin – Ooooooooh I have been WAITING for this one! I squealed with excitement when I saw this finally had a release date, as I’ve been eagerly anticipating it since it was announced in 2018. CNN chief legal analyst Toobin wrote this “real-life legal thriller about the prosecutors and congressional investigators pursuing the truth about Donald Trump’s complicity in several crimes—and why they failed.” It’s “based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller’s office, Trump’s legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison” and attempts to “make sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Trump years.”
He must’ve been scrapping and rewriting drafts of this like a madman. One day in this administration is like an entire terrible year in any other. Toobin is one of those authors and commentators that I find put things in understandable, smartly analyzed terms within well-thought out narratives. As many takes as we have on Trump and Co., I’m confident his will be unique. Hurry up please, I can’t wait! (August 4, Doubleday) (Pre-order)
Vesper Flights, by Helen Macdonald – I must be the last person who hasn’t read H is For Hawk and can’t decide if I want to, but I’m all in for a collection of nature essays, some new, others previously published, from this much-loved author. She’s known for moving, meaningful prose connecting nature with elements of humanity. “Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk’s poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds’ nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife.” Perfect. (August 25, Grove Press) (Pre-order)
Not a Novel: A Memoir in Pieces, by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Kurt Beals – Popular German literary fiction author Erpenbeck’s “highly personal and poetic” memoir-in-essays on “life, literature, and politics” is translated for English-speaking readers. I only read one of her novels years ago so I’m excited to get to know her through her nonfiction. These also address “her literary influences (Thomas Bernhard, the Brothers Grimm, Kafka, and Thomas Mann), unforgettable reflections on the forces at work in her novels (including history, silence, and time), and scathing commentaries on the dire situation of America and Europe today.” (September 1, New Directions) (Pre-order)
The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure: Catherine the Great, a Golden Age Masterpiece, and a Legendary Shipwreck, by Gerald Easter & Mara Vorhees – Is it just me or is Catherine the Great everywhere lately? I’m not complaining, but there have been two TV series just within the last year: the miniseries Catherine the Great starring wondrous treasure Helen Mirren (I watched it on a plane; it’s pretty decent) and Hulu’s new The Great starring a Fanning. I haven’t seen it but feel less enthused. Anyway, good on Catherine because here comes a new book about her too. Specifically about this: A ship, the Vrouw Maria, sank while carrying a highly coveted painting, The Nursery, “by Leiden fine painter Gerrit Dou, Rembrandt’s most brilliant student and Holland’s first international superstar artist.”
After confounding salvagers for two centuries, one wreck hunter managed to reach the ship, still “perfectly preserved” in July 1999. This “recounts the fascinating tale of Vrouw Maria—her loss and discovery—weaving together the rise and fall of the artist whose priceless masterpiece was the jewel of the wreckage.” (September 1, Pegasus Books) (Pre-order)
The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket, by Benjamin Lorr – I read an advance of this on the recommendation of the impossibly knowledgeable Robin @ Robin’s Books, whose recommendations are always spot-on, and loved it. Lorr embeds with workers to trace threads of the American supermarket economy, including the disheartening trucking industry, working the fish counter at a Manhattan Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s secrets from Joe himself, looks at low-wage and migrant workers, and the confounding process entrepreneurs face to get products on supermarket shelves, among other stories and interviews here. It’s shocking, eye-opening, very funny, and completely page-turning. Our relationship to grocery stores and the employees involved all along the supply chain got heavily spotlighted during the pandemic, so this couldn’t come at a more relevant time. (September 8, Avery) (Pre-order)
Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land, by Toni Jensen – Jensen, a Métis woman, writes a memoir of being Indigenous in America through the lens of her “encounters with gun violence.” It blends the personal and historical, “exploring how history is lived in the body and redefining the language we use to speak about violence in America […] Jensen connects the trauma of school shootings with her own experiences of racism and sexual assault on college campuses, […] explores the gun and gang violence in her neighborhood the year her daughter was born, […] focuses on her graduate school years, during which a workshop classmate repeatedly killed off thinly veiled versions of her in his stories, […] and takes the reader inside Standing Rock during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and bears witness to the peril faced by women in regions overcome by the fracking boom.” This sounds extraordinary. (September 8, Ballantine) (Pre-order)
Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide, by Cecily Wong & Dylan Thuras – Atlas Obscura is an endless source of delights, and I loved their last book, Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders. Gastro Obscura expands on their food-focused section, and tours the world — every last corner — exploring strange, unusual, and quirky foods and traditions. I’m slowly reading my way through this, trying to only read a few pages a day to retain it better. But it ends up being hard to put down and I’ve learned so much (maggot cheese is a thing that exists and people put into their mouths. I didn’t say it was all appetizing). It’s nice to be reminded of how much weird wonderfulness is out there in the world even if we can’t experience it right now. It’s making me excited for when we can have all this again. (September 28, Workman Publishing Company)
A Demon-Haunted Land: Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany, by Monica Black – Apparently, after World War II, Germans got very into the spooky and woo-woo. This examines why that happened in terms of national identity and the situation Germany found itself in after losing the war. I’m particularly interested because I lived in Germany and compared to some of the outrageous nonsensical shit Americans believe, Germans hardly register to me as woo at all. They are practical, logical, and science-loving as they come. I’m hoping this will be a not-too-academic look at what happened and how they changed that thinking later. (October 6, Metropolitan Books) (Pre-order)
All Lara’s Wars, by Wojciech Jagielski, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones – A new translation in one of my favorite genres, Polish reportage, this involves a reporter telling how “the great events of the last half-century—the realignment of Eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the rise in the Middle East of ISIS and its quest for a new Caliphate—converge in this account of a Chechen-Georgian family whose two sons become radicalized, and how their mother—Lara—travels to Syria by bus and at great risk, not to join them but to bring them home.” This sounds reminiscent of one of my favorite reads of the last few years, Two Sisters, and Jagielski is a highly acclaimed journalist so I’m excited to get this English introduction to his work. (October 13, Seven Stories Press) (Pre-order)
We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence, by Becky Cooper – “The story was this: a Harvard student had had an affair with her professor, and the professor had murdered her in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology because she’d threatened to talk about the affair. Though the rumor proves false, the story that unfolds, one that Cooper will follow for ten years, is even more complex: a tale of gender inequality in academia, a ‘cowboy culture’ among empowered male elites, the silencing effect of institutions, and our compulsion to rewrite the stories of female victims.”
I’ve been pretty disappointed in recent true crime, enough to take a big but refreshing break from the genre, but the greater social issues — particularly the connection to the dark side of academia — in this one sound very worth knowing. Not to mention the intrigue inherent in any not-what-it-seems myth. (November 10, Grand Central) (Pre-order)
Answers in the Form of Questions : A Definitive History and Insider’s Guide to Jeopardy!, Claire McNear – Is there anything as universally beloved as Jeopardy? I feel like so many people have strong, sentimental connections to it. Even my husband, who wasn’t raised in America, associates Jeopardy! with his first visits to the US and loves to watch it every night. It is a truly magnetic institution of a show. As much as I love it too, and cherish my memories of watching it with my grandparents every evening in high school (just to underscore how astonishingly cool I’ve always been) I don’t think I’m interested enough to read this, but I wanted to make sure you knew it existed. (November 10, Twelve) (Pre-order)
Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Health, by David Nutt – One of the most fascinating if terrifying parts of Quit Like a Woman was the explanation the author provided of alcohol’s detrimental effects on the body. My interest in reading that book came from realizing how ubiquitous a substance that is literally poison is in our society and social connections, with an emphasis on how aggressively it’s marketed to women. This book, written by a neuropharmacology professor, expands on what alcohol actually does to the body, and “addresses topics such as hormones, mental health, fertility, and addiction, explaining how alcohol travels through our bodies and brains, what happens at each stage of inebriation, and how it affects us even after it leaves our systems.” (December 22, Hachette) (Pre-order)
What new nonfiction are you looking forward to this year?
Great post 😁
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Thank you!
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Wow! I’m blown away by the diversity of topics. Fabulous list, Ren💜 Can’t wait time read your reviews.
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Thank you!! I try to keep my reading list a good mix…that’s important if you only read nonfiction 😂
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The Secret Life of Groceries immediately stood out to me, but you’ve sold me on True Crimes and Misdemeanors too!
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Yay, glad I could! I’m just so excited for that one. And The Secret Life of Groceries was excellent, it should be a must-read.
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Ooh, great list! I’ve just added Carry and Drink? to my TBR and am intrigued by several others that I’ll keep an eye out for- like We Keep the Dead Close, and the Trump book! It looks like there are still some great titles on the horizon, even with publication dates being pushed back! Thanks for rounding these up. 🙂
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So glad I could pass some promising recommendations on to you! 🙂 I was excited to see there were still so many good ones on the calendar, it really does seem like a lot of pub dates have been shifted.
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Carry and The Secret Life of Groceries look appealing! Thanks for this list.
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The Secret Life of Groceries was excellent and Carry looks really promising. Glad I could put them on your radar!
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There are so many books to be excited about here! I’m particularly keen to read Vesper Flights, and I think Gastro Obscura would be great to have around for dipping in and out of. Looking forward to reading your reviews of them all.
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I think Vesper Flights sounds really good too, and I’m excited to finally read something of hers after hearing so much praise for her writing. Gastro Obscura is perfect for dipping in and out of, and especially for getting some ideas if you’re visiting a particular region.
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Ooh, the Toobin one does sound good! I wondered if he’d “do” Trump but I thought he might wait till it was all over… if it ever is! Thanks for the heads up. 😀
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I was wondering how he’d do it too, because this was announced a few years ago and just think of all that’s transpired in the meantime. I’m so interested in how he navigated that and structured it all.
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Ooh, I read and loved Visitation last year so I’m very much looking forward to the Erpenbeck. And the one about the supermarkets would be fascinating! Thanks for bringing both to my attention.
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Visitation was the one I read years ago but I can’t remember hardly anything about it! I hear so much praise for her though so I’m excited for the essays. The Secret Life of Groceries is excellent, I can’t recommend it enough!
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So many books, so little time! Aargh, you’ve whetted my appetite or should I say I’m feeling a bit gourmandish looking at this menu!
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Sorry to overload your reading list, I know the feeling! Glad I could give you some good possibilities though 🙂
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great selection! I’m now particularly looking forward to Carry and We Keep the Dead Close.
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They both sound so good, don’t they!
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Not a novel, a memoir in piece has a mindblowing cover and intriguing to the reader in me, Carry, Tsarina Lost Treasures and All Lara’s War seem amazing. I have a question, have you reading lots of ebooks during the pandemic? As much as I love a printed copy and nothing beats that, I am slowly shifting my reading to kindle and buying e-versions. Love your determination in writing about the books and will jot them in my TBR 🙂
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I’m so glad I could give you so many recommendations!! I have been reading a lot of ebooks, especially since they were all we could get from the library during the pandemic, but I actually made that switch a few years ago when I was living abroad. I love physical books more than anything but in a non-English speaking country it was more difficult and expensive to get them, plus I didn’t like accumulating so many when I wasn’t sure when and where I’d be moving. It’s good to have the option of both, I think 🙂 Thanks for your kind words always happy to find someone with so many reading interests in common!
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The Secret Life of Groceries sounds interesting. I wonder how much the experiences described are unique to USA or whether we’d find the same practices happening here in UK
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That’s a good question! I was very interested in how the systems and practices compare after living in Europe myself and being astonished at the price differences to the US supermarkets, but there’s not a lot about international shops in the book except for some information about how Aldi helped the German economy.
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What a delicious smorgasbord of new books! Am tempted by We Keep the Dead Close and The Secret Life of Groceries. Might also read Vesper Flights as I did enjoy H for Hawk, it was quite different though have mixed feelings about birds of prey being kept captive.
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Same, I have mixed feelings about that as well. And I guess I’ve avoided it because I think it focuses a lot on grief, and I have to be in the right head space for that. I just heard her writing was so lovely so I’m excited to see what it’s like. I’m looking forward to We Keep the Dead Close, and I promise Secret Life of Groceries is excellent!!
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I always brace myself before checking your upcoming releases posts because … well, I know I’ll want to read all of them! And yup. Today is no different. And with so many books pushing their release dates back, then I feel like I’m going to have a mountain of new releases to get through come next year.
Right out the gate: Jeffrey Toobin. If he writes it, I’ll read it. And I had no idea he had a new book coming out, so thank you for putting it on my radar! You’re so right: he has such a great way of breaking down complicated subjects and placing them in understandable terms. Legitimately cannot wait for this one.
And hey, good news. I also haven’t read H is For Hawk. I’ve been back and forth on wanting to start it, but I’ll definitely be giving this collection of essays a look. Nature essays go straight to my heart.
Oh, I could go on and on … you know how I feel about food books, so Gastro Obscura is going right to the top of my list, too. Same with Drink? And of course, can’t pass up a book on Jeopardy …
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Ugh I feel the same, I can tell next year is going to be completely packed and maybe the end of this year a little less exciting, but what can we do. If it’s any consolation I usually do at least two posts of these each season and I couldn’t even come up with enough that piqued my interest for a second post. So you don’t have to brace for another, at least! Small consolation, I know.
The Toobin book!!! It’s so weird, I’ve seen nothing promoting it or even talking about it really, and I have no idea why. I only knew of it because I’ve been waiting this long and checking like a mad person. I wonder why there’s so little buzz around it. Seems kind of odd but in any case, I can’t wait! And I’m so happy I could be the one to tell you about it!
And yay that I’m not alone on being the only one who hasn’t read H is For Hawk! It’s just one of those I feel like I SHOULD read and some things I’ve heard about it are intriguing but I just can’t muster any enthusiasm for it. But same — nature essays are always it, but especially this year, I think. It’s nice to be outside and appreciating it now more than ever.
I think you’ll love Gastro Obscura. It veers a bit between being more foodie and more travel-y and I prefer the food aspect, but there’s so much fascinating stuff there. And the photos!!
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Given that I feel like Germany has dealt with their history of racism much better than the US has dealt with ours, I’d be very interested in hearing about the post-WWII period there and how society evolved!
The Secret Life of Groceries made my list of books I’m looking forward to too, so I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂
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Secret Life of Groceries was so fascinating! I’m excited to hear what you think of it 🙂
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Awesome!
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